Heart of Gold
by HylianHero128
Summary: Link stumbles upon one of Master Hand's treasures, the cursed Metal Box. Upon touching the strange box, Link turns to cold, lifeless metal. Zelda is devesated, and sets off to find a cure for Link. In the end, the power of a heart of gold will prevail
1. Just Another Day in Paradise

**Heart of Gold (rewrite)  
**_By: HylianHero128_

**BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER! THAT'S RIGHT! HEART OF GOLD IS BACK!** after a rather long hiatus, this story returns, back by popular demand!

**SUMARRY:**  
all the smashers turn on Link when a careless mistake ends up with Roy getting a concussion. the smashers gang up on Link, and, guilt-ridden, Link goes into hiding. He stumbles upon one of Master Hand's treasures, the cursed Metal Box. Upon touching the strange box, Link turns to cold, lifeless metal. Zelda is devesated, and sets off to find a cure for Link. In the end, the power of a heart of gold will prevail

now, please enjoy my masterpiece:  
**HEART OF GOLD (**by HylianHero128 **ENJOY!**

**-Chapter One-  
****Just Another Day in Paradise**

It was yet another scorching hot summers day, and all the smashers were enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Lying in a deck lounger by the pool was Link, as he sipped his lemonade and basked in the sun. He rested there as he listened to the cheerful smashers splashing around in the pool. Nothing could beat a day like this. It was nice to have a few days off from the tournament. He felt some cold water splashed onto his chest, and he gasped, nearly spilling his drink. He sat up and saw a smiling Zelda, in the pool, with her arms resting on the deck.

"Watch it with that water!" Link said, "Nearly made me spill my drink."

"Drink schmink," Zelda said teasingly, "Why don't you get off your lazy butt and join us for swim?"

Young Link paddled by. "Yeah Link, come on! The water's great!"

Link sighed, "But it's so comfy here."

"So what, you're just gonna lay there all day?"

"Sure, why not?"

Young Link rolled his eyes, "Because it's boring!" he clambered out of the pool and walked towards Link. "Come on now, lazy!" He took Link's arm and tried to pull him up. He grunted as he tugged on Link's arm, but Link stayed firmly put. "Come. On." He said between pulls.

"Oh fine." Link gave in, and Young Link cheered. He ran back into the water. Link walked to the very edge of the deck and stuck his toe into the water.

"Link!" Young Link cried.

Link laughed. Teasing his younger self was fun. He finally dove into the pool. He had to admit, the water _was_ nice.

"Happy now?" Link asked.

"Nope, not yet." Then, before Link could react, Young Link jumped onto his back. "Giddy up!"

Link chuckled, "Who do you think I am? Epona?"

"Hah, you're funny. Now come on! Mush!"

"Oh, so I'm a sled dog now am I?" They both laughed. Link started to paddle around the pool with his younger self on his back.

"Wheee!"

Zelda giggled as she watched, "Oh, you two look so cute!" She swam after the two Links. Link maneuvered around the other smashers in the pool, his younger self still on his back.

"Okay," he said, "Pit stop."

"Aww!" Young Link jumped off his older self's back. Link just floated in the water for a bit. Young Link stared at him.

"You know, if you were just gonna lay in the pool all day, I think I shoulda left you on the deck chair." Link laughed.

"All right then. How about some action then? Want to see a few expert dives?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Young Link cheered.

Link pulled himself out of the pool and made his way to the diving board.

"No Link!" Young Link called, "The high dive!"

"Haha, all right then." Link climbed up the high board's ladder. He got to the top and made his way to the end of the board. "Ready?" He called to Young Link.

"Yeah! Everyone clear the way!" Young Link called.

Link coiled his legs, hands over his head. Then, he jumped off the board, and soared through the air towards the pool below. Link thought he'd show off and threw in a flip before his muscular figure disappeared under the water with a great splash. He resurfaced moments later.

"Beautifully executed." Zelda said, swimming over to Link.

"How was that for a dive?" Link asked.

"Yeah, it was okay." Young Link said.

"Okay?" Link said, "I think it was better than that!"

Young Link shrugged.

"Hey Link! Zelda!" Link turned around and saw Roy waving at them. He had Peach with him.

"Hey guys!" Link called, "Come join us!"

Roy and Peach jumped into the water and waded over to the three Hylians.

"Hi Roy!"

"Heey! Mini-Link! What's up?"

"Nothin'. Link was just showing us his diving skills."

"Diving _skills_?" Roy asked, "Hah! I'll show you skills!" Roy jumped out of the pool and climbed up the high dive. He ran down the board and jumped into the air, squeezing in two flips before making contact with the water.

"Beat that!" Roy said as he resurfaced.

"I have a better idea," Said Link, "Since you're _so_ good at diving… I'll give you five bucks to belly flop off the high board."

"Ha! You're on!" Roy said confidently."

"Roy! That's not a very good idea!" Peach said worriedly, "What if you get hurt?"

"Oh, a belly flop never hurt anyone!" Roy said, "It's fine!"

"I don't know, Roy." Peach retorted, "It's awfully high." But Roy wasn't listening. He was already out of the pool and halfway up the ladder. "_Boys_…" Muttered Peach.

"Oh well." Zelda said, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Roy was at the top now. He looked down. It sure was high; especially for a belly flop.

_Maybe Peach was right about this being too dangerous…_ But Roy couldn't back out now. He merely shrugged off his nervousness and went for it. Body as stiff as a board, Roy jumped off. Belly first. The wind whistled in his ears and rushed through his hair as he plummeted to the water below. Suddenly, there was a loud SMACK. Many smashers turned to look as Roy's body impacted the water's surface. Roy was still. He didn't surface for air; he merely bobbed in the water, face down.

"Oh my god!" Peach shrieked. She and Link quickly swam to Roy. Link grabbed Roy's shoulders and pulled his face out of the water. It was all red…

"I… I think he's unconscious." Link managed to say.

* * *

and there you have it. chapter one in all its re-written glory! oh, im so happy:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:DDD 

now...  
REVIEW! and move on to chapter two :D


	2. A Little Picnic

**-Chapter Two-  
****A Little Picnic**

Link waited anxiously in the waiting room with Zelda and Peach. Finally, Dr. Mario strode out of his office.

"Well doc," Link said nervously, "How is he?"

"Well," The physician said, "He did suffer a minor concussion, but other than that he should be fine."

"Is he awake yet?" Zelda asked.

"No. You can see him later tonight. Right now he needs some rest to recover."

"Okay." Link, Zelda, and Peach got up from their seats and walked away.

"Heh heh, sorry girls." Link said.

"You should be!" Peach snapped, "After all, this was all your fault!"

"Peach, calm down," Zelda placed a hand on Link's shoulder, "It wasn't your fault." Peach looked surprised and what Zelda just said.

"Yeah, it was actually. I shoulda known better than to bet Roy he couldn't belly flop off the high dive."

"Oh Link, you were just trying to have some fun. Just, think a bit more next time."

Peach was upset. Zelda was consoling Link for injuring her boyfriend. She left the two when they reached the foyer.

"I'm going to my room." She stalked off to the staircase and marched upstairs.

Link sighed. It was apparent he was still feeling guilty, so Zelda suggested they go on a picnic to forget about it.

"It'll be fun. Just you and me."

Link smiled. "Okay."

---

"…and then when he hit the water, there was a big SMACK!" Young Link had his friends gathered around him, as he eagerly told them what had happened to Roy earlier.

"Wow!" Popo said in awe.

"And then, he got knocked out!"

"And Link told him to do that?" Ness asked.

"Yeah! He said he'd give Roy five bucks!"

"Yeesh, some friend!" Snorted Kirby.

Young Link was taken aback. "Link isn't a bad friend! He was… just being stupid."

"Well, he does that a lot doesn't he?" Kirby said.

Young Link said nothing.

---

Zelda and Link had found a nice tree on the grounds, under which they set Zelda's blanket. She had brought her famous picnic basket, and Link was very excited to see what goodies she packed this time.

"Oh Zelda, you packed my favourite chicken sandwiches!"

"And potato salad!" She said, pulling out a blue Tupperware container.

"Oh Zelda, you're too much!" Link gave Zelda a big hug. "You know exactly what I love!"

"Me?" Zelda teased. Link laughed.

"Yeah, that too." He moved in and placed a soft kiss on Zelda's lips.

Zelda giggled, "Oh Link. I love you."

"Me too"

Zelda didn't know if Link meant 'I love you too' or 'I love me too', but she didn't bother to ask. She just wanted to cheer Link up right now. And it seemed to be working. Link was already munching on his chicken sandwich. "Mmmm… delicious! Zelda, you're a marvellous cook!"

"Thank you, Link" Zelda said, eating her own sandwich. The two ate in silence for a while, as Link was deep in thought.

"Hey Zel…"

"Yeah Link?"

"Am I… your boyfriend?"

Zelda laughed, "Well, you love me don't you?"

"Well, yeah.  
"And I love you right?"

"Uh huh…"

"So then I guess that's a yes." Zelda smiled, "Silly, of course you are."

Link smiled, "Okay, because, we never really established that."

"Well then, now we have." Zelda giggled. _He's so cute._

Link finished off his sandwich and half the potato salad.

"Now, how about some desert?" Zelda asked.

"Oh you read my mind!" Link said. Zelda took a plate of brownies out of her picnic basket. She took off the plastic wrap and took a brownie.

"Here Link." Zelda held the brownie to Link's mouth. He took a bite and smiled.

"Oh, yum… You're brownies are the best Zelda!" He took a brownie and had Zelda take a bite. She giggled. They took turns feeding eachother brownies until the plate was bare.

"Well Link, shall we walk back to the mansion?"

"Sure." Link helped Zelda clear up the empty plates and roll up the blanket. Then the two walked back. Link had his arm around Zelda's shoulders and she had an arm around his waist. Zelda rested her head on Link's shoulders.

"I love you."

* * *

AWW, aint that cute? its even cuter now than before :D im really glad with how these chapters turned out. i worked long and hard on them. aaaaaaaanyways, onto chapter 3! 


	3. News Spreads Like a Wildfire

**-Chapter Three-  
****News Spreads Like a Wildfire**

Whether it be good or bad, news travels fast, and the news about Roy traveled faster than a Pikachu on steroids. As soon as Link and Zelda walked through the front door of the mansion, Link was met with numerous angry glares. As he and Zelda walked by, some of the smashers started whispering to each other, and pointing at Link.

"Yeah, that's the one!" Zelda heard someone say.

"Dared Roy to belly flop off the high dive."

This was too much for her. As she and Link reach the staircase, she turned around to say:

"It's rude to point." And she turned holding Link's arm, and marched to his room.

"Looks like everyone knows about Roy now…" Link sighed.

"I can't believe how they're acting. They're being very immature about it." Zelda said incredulously.

"Well, I mean, I _did_ dare Roy to belly flop off the high dive."

"Link, like I said, you were only trying to have fun right? You didn't mean to hurt Roy. It might not have been the smartest decision, but we all learn from our mistakes."

Link smiled, and took comfort in her words. No matter how bad the situation seemed, Zelda always made it look better. She always had some words of wisdom to share with him, and Link liked talking to Zelda because of this.

"Thanks Zelda." Link kissed her on the cheek. They kept walking up the stairs. They were about halfway up when they bumped into Peach.

"Oh, hello Zelda." She said. Then she scowled at Link.

"Yeah, hello to you too." Link said to Peach's back, as she continued down the stairs. Zelda stopped.

"Bitch." She murmured.

"Zelda! How can you say that? You two are best friends!"

"Not anymore." She turned around and mumbled something in Ancient Hylian. She waved her arm and a ball of fire appeared. It floated towards Peach. "One…"

"Zelda?"

"Two…"

"Zelda, you wouldn't!"

"Three."

"ARGH!" Peach let out an ear-piercing scream. "ZELDA!"

"I'm sorry, did that hurt? I'm so careless." Zelda said sarcastically. She and Link started walking up the stairs again.

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Peach gave another infuriated scream as she stomped off.

Link smiled at Zelda. "I love you."

"Me too." She said.

---

Marth was in Dr. Mario's office with Roy, who was awake now.

"So I guess what everyone is saying is true." Marth said.

"Everyone?" Roy asked, "Are you telling me Peach blabbed to everyone about what happened today?"

"Yeah, she did. I feel kind of sorry for Link. He didn't mean any harm, did he?"

"Of course he didn't! Roy cried, "Oh, I can't believe Peach! Why is she doing this?"

"Well, you know how Peach can get." Marth said. They both sighed.

"How's Link doing?" Roy asked.

"No clue. He and Zelda went out for a picnic."

"I see…" Just then, there was a knock at the door. It opened.

"Oh Roooy." Called the unmistakable voice of Princess Peach. As she walked in, her eyes fell on Marth, who was sitting beside Roy on his bed. "Why hello there Marth. I trust you've found out about my poor little Roy."

"Indeed I have." Marth got up, "I should thank _you_ for that."

"Oh there's no need to thank me Little Marthy." Peach flicked his nose, "I'm just looking out for my precious little Roy."

"You're disgusting, you know that?" Marth said, "You're a cold hearted bitch."

"I'm sorry." Peach said, "But I _don't_ remember asking you what you thought about me. Rest assured my sapphire haired cutie, I am nothing of the sort." Peach smiled sweetly, "Now, if you would _please_ leave us, I need to talk to Roy."

Marth looked Peach in the eyes. "Fine." On his way out the door, he murmured "Nice hair."

"I HEARD THAT!"

* * *

evern when i re-wrote this chapter, it was a lil short, so i added in an extra little bit :)  
i love making peach a total bitch:D when she's talking to marth in the doctor's office, i sorta see peach talking like Pronyma from tales of symphonia...  
-shrugs- meh, i dunno, thats just how i see it. im a real ToS nut... but not as much as Zelda! AAAAAANYWAYS.. thats it :(  
sorry guys, no chapter four right now. but it's started. it and chapter five shall be added later, but for now, i must revert my focus onto A Midsummer Night's Dream.  
while you're waiting, you can always review  
and tell me how much you love me and my writing  
lol, jk, but really, please update... as i said before, their like recieving valentines :D 


	4. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

maybe my compuers just whacked, but i never saw the story at the top of the list, where the most recently updated ones are :( and i know it got updated, cuz there are already reviews for it :S...o well, no matter. i also find it kinda funny that the only one who did review was annonymous, and thereforecouldn't have me on alert or fave story/author... unless of course, the person _does _have an accountand is too lazy/doesn't want to sign in. :D thats for being such a devoted fan anyways! (id write ur name, but it doesn't let me use those characters). anyways, here's chapter 4. i had it done a while ago, but i wanted to wait till i at least sawmy storyupdated. speakin of updating, in my last author's not, i mean please review, not please update.. heh heh, sorry, sometimes im just really out of it. anways, enough rambling. enjoy this beautiful chapter, which, while im thinking of it i may as well mention it, has an added ll scene :). now, READ!

**

* * *

**

-Chapter Four-  
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

"That wasn't very nice." Roy said.

"Oh Roy, whatever are you talking about?" Peach asked innocently, "He was the one who called me a bitch. Surely you don't agree do you?"

"You know I don't. But still, I think you're overreacting about this whole thing. I am completely _fine_!"

Peach shook her head, but before she could say anything else, Dr. Mario walked in.

"Princess Peach! What happened to your hair?" He exclaimed.

"It got barbecued by Zelda." Peach scowled.

"Oh dear… You'll need to cut off the singed part and use a prescription shampoo for a week."

This made Peach queasy. "Will it make my hair smell weird?"

"It might…"

"Damn it." Peach snatched the bottle from Dr. Mario and stuffed it into her purse. "Well Roy, I'm having dinner with Mario tonight and I need to get ready. I'll have Samus cut my hair." She lightly kissed Roy's cheek and left.

Roy just lay there. _It's not Link's fault, why is Peach so angry at him?_

---

There was a knock on Samus's door. Samus, who was watching TV, was annoyed someone would disturb her at this hour. She grudgingly got up from her bed and walked to the door, for the person knocking at it was very persistent. She opened it to find an angry looking Peach.

"Hi Samus." Peach said, in an annoying, sugary voice.

"Peach, what do you want?" Samus asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I have a date tonight, and I need you to cut my hair." Peach ran her hand through her singed locks.

Samus stared at Peach blankly for a moment, then she replied with a flat "No."

"What?"

"I said no. Go away. Wheel of Fortune is on."

"But Samus I have a--"

Samus slammed the door in Peach's face, not caring in the slightest about her date. She flopped onto her bed and continued to watch her show.

"Well of all the NERVE!" Peach said from the other side of the door. "Well, I'll just have to _cut it myself!_"

"Heh, that'd be fun to watch." Samus said. Peach stomped off to her room.

---

Link was lying on his bed, with his head in Zelda's lap. She was running her hand through his hair and stroking his head. She was also humming softly. Link liked it when Zelda did this; It was very soothing.

"Say Zelda," Link said sleepily

"Hm? What is it Link?"

"I'm really glad I have you here with me right now."

Zelda smiled, "Not nearly as glad I am to have you here with me." They both sighed.

"Zelda… What's gonna happen when we go back to Hyrule?"

"I… I don't know Link dearest." Zelda had been thinking about that too. What _would_ happen when they returned home? Of course, Zelda would have to resume her duties as Princess of Hyrule; but what of Link? She knew that they could never be together. She was a princess. He was a commoner. This tore Zelda's heart into a million tiny pieces. "Link… Let's not think about that right now."

"Okay…" Link left it at that. Zelda continued to hum and his eyelids were growing heavy. Soon, the Hylian drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

Zelda smiled as she looked down at Link. "You're beautiful when you're asleep." She whispered softly. She kissed her hand, and placed it on Link's forehead. "I don't ever want you to leave me."

---

Roy was asleep in Dr. Mario's office, snoring softly. The door opened a crack, and a certain someone peeked inside. This someone was Marth, and upon seeing the sleeping Roy, he entered the room, and sat down in the empty chair by his bed.

"I was hoping for some company and a little talk," Marth said to no one, "But I guess I'll just have to wait. Marth picked up a magazine and started reading. He felt something wet his leg. He looked at it, and then at Roy, and found that the redhead was drooling.

"Ugh, gross…"

---

Link had been sleeping for some time now, so Zelda occupied herself with reading a book. She didn't have much else to do since half of her was still trapped under Link's head. She riffled through the pages of her favourite romance novel. She sighed heavily as she read on about a perfect little relationship between two people desperately in love with one another. _If only Link and I were like that…_ True, Link and Zelda loved each other very much, but they had only been going out for a few weeks. They both met up at the mansion at the start of the tournament, and instantly clicked. Zelda didn't know how she could have possibly not noticed him in Hyrule. _He did save me after all…_ They treasured every second of their time together in the tournament; where Link and Zelda were free from the binds of social classes, and just be with each other, every single moment.

Zelda was pulled out of her muddled thoughts when she heard a small chiming sound. It was the clock on the wall, which rang to signify dinnertime. Zelda marked her page, set her book aside, and roused Link.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." She murmured softly.

Slowly but surely, Link lifted his eyelids, and revealed his sparkling blue eyes. He looked up at Zelda. "I was having a good dream." He mumbled.

"Oh. Sorry to wake you." Zelda said softly.

"No. The real thing is better." Link sat up, and gently kissed Zelda.

As their lips parted, Zelda spoke, "You're so sweet, you know that?" Link gave her that dashing, melt-your-heart- smile. Zelda returned it. "So. Shall we head down for dinner?"

"Sure." Link yawned and stretched. He stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom, where he turned the faucet one for a quick face wash. Now refreshed and awake, he took Zelda's hand and they headed down to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

awww.. sleeping ppl...  
don't you love sleeping ppl:D  
as you may have noticed, there are few changes made in this chapter. i added in the whole "link and zelda cant be together cuz she's a princess and he's a commoner" bit to make the story all the more tragic :) i also added in that little scene with marth and roy, and i did for two reasons: 1. to break up the link sleeping with zelda part, cuz it didn't sound good all tegother. and 2. well, i dont know, this wasnt my intention from the start but,i dont know, should i add in a little marth/roy romance? i dunno, its up to you guys, but i thought it might be intersting. if you're reading this for the first time, the original never had marth visit roy, so he wasn't as prominent of a character. now, he's a bit more prominent, and cloesr to roy. anways, its what u guys want, cuz ur the readers. ill be fine writing it either way. wow, ive written a lot... hm.. well, what else can i say? updated my profile again... and uhh... finished chapter 6 of aMDN (a midsummer night's dream), but im not sure if ill post it yet. i need to rework a few parts. if you havent read it, please do. especially if you're familiar with the play. anways ( i say that a lot...)... i hope you like that chapter, and eagerly wait the next one :) oh, and plz review!

thats all for now

-Ciao!

(i thought id use my old little goodbye saying i used when i was writing crushed. meh.)


	5. Guilt

i really dont know whats wrong with me. i had this chapter done ages ago, and i didnt post it :S. and this isnt the first time ive done it either. im also kinda sad all my original readers havent come back to me :(, but o well, that was my fault... ANYWAYS (i spelt it rite this time :D) here is chapter 5, which used to be chapter 4 :).

**-Chapter Five-  
****Guilt**

Almost everyone was seated at the long table in the dining room. Absent from the table were Peach and Mario, who were having a dinner date somewhere else. Roy was missing too, still in Dr. Mario's office, recovering. Zelda and Link had yet to arrive. In the meantime, the smashers chose to gossip about Link.

"That Link,"Said Samusto Marth, "Honestly, telling Roy to jump off the high dive belly first. That boy isn't all there."

"Oh, Link's a good fellow. He's just not exactly the brightest."

Samus undoubtedly thought otherwise. "Oh look, here he is now."

Link and Zelda had just entered the dining room. Usually greeted by smiles and 'Hellos", tonight, all they received were angry glares and scowls. They took their seats at the end of the table, and waited patiently waited for the Master Hand to come in to inform the smashers of the latest events. The big double doors opened, and the mammoth floating hand… well, floated in.

"Hello smashers." The Hand said in a bored voice. "There are a few announcements I'd like to make.Firstly, Roy is in the care of Dr. Mario, still recovering from his belly flop off the high dive today.

_As if everyone doesn't already know_ Zelda thought bitterly. The smashers shot more glares at Link.

Master Hand continued with the announcements. "We are planning a day trip to the lake for all the kids. Volunteers needed. Pichu has lost his nail clipper, and Ganondorf has lost the Triforce of Power. Please return them to their respective owners if found." Master Hand paused, "Oh yes, one last reminder. Please note that any such magic casting is prohibited outside of the arena."

This time, Zelda was the one glowered upon.

"And that is all, please enjoy the meal." Master Hand snapped, and food magically appeared on the table. He then floated away.

Link looked around the table and was glad to see Peach wasn't at dinner tonight. Knowing her, she'd be talking about how Link was such a horrible person and encouraging everyone else to hate him. However, it seemed the other smashers were doing that on their own. Link his tried to avoid their scowling, and block out their whispering, but it proved increasingly difficult.

Zelda was answering any glares with glares of her own. The other smashers had no right to be like this, it was unfair to her and Link. She finally had enough. She stood up and faced all the smashers.

"You know what? You can all go to hell. You all act like this is the worst thing ever to happen. Well it's not." Zelda, thinking her got her point across, grabbed Link's hand and stormed off. Link followed behind. She slammed the dining room doors shut behind her. "The nerve of all those people. Come Link, we'll--"

"Zelda…"

"Yes?"

"I'd… I'd like sometime to just be alone…"

"Oh. Okay darling, I understand." Zelda hugged Link, "Don't let all the others get to you. I'll be in my room." Zelda left Link in the foyer.

Link didn't want to be around anyone right now. He decided to have a walk around the mansion, looking at all the pictures and statues that he merely walked past before. He passed a picture of the hosts of the first Smash Bros. Tournament: Ronald and Gerald Smash. "Wow…" Link said, staring up at the two tall figures in the picture. _I wonder what the first one was like…_

Link walked on. He found himself in the mansion's library. It was a huge room with a very high ceiling. The walls were covered with bookshelves, reaching to the ceiling holding trillions of books, on any subject. Link had a particular loathing for reading, but he had nothing better to do. He scanned the shelves for interesting things to read. He walked past the rows of shelves, finding nothing. He did however, find a big, cushy armchair. It looked very welcoming, so he walked over to it and collapsed onto it. He groaned.

"Today is not good day." He sat there for a while, just zoning out. He only moved when he heard someone coming down the hall. "Oh no." Link got up from his armchair and hid amongst the towering bookshelves. It turned out to be Fox McCloud, taking a short after dinner stroll. Link waited for him to pass, then relaxed. Out of sheer boredom, he decided to pick out a random book and flip through it. He spotted a book, which was entitled: A Thousand and Two Varieties of Cheese. He went to pull it off the shelf, but when he did, he found the book was stuck unusually tight.

"Hmph." Link said, "Too many books crammed onto this shelf." He tugged again, and this time, the book moved. It didn't come out all of the way though. There was a loud 'click' that sounded like a switch had just been flipped somewhere. Suddenly, the bookshelf started to rumble and shake. "Whoa! What the--" The shelf shook even more, and finally, the bookshelf moved back into the wall. It then slid sideways, revealing a dark passageway.

"Whooa!" Link said in awe, "Way cool!" Link decided to find out where the secret passage led to. "Hm… sure is dark in here…" Link held his arms in front of him, just in case he walked into a wall. Soon, the path started to slope downwards. It also started to spiral, sort of like a staircase. Link ran his hand along the wall, as he continued his trek down the dark passageway. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, Link finally saw a faint light at the end of the passage. He started to run, eager to see what awaited him at the end. Finally, he made it into a small room, which looked like an office of sorts. There was a big desk in one corner, but no chair. There were bookshelves lining one wall, some containing copies of the books in the library above. Link noticed some pictures on the walls. They were pictures of people fighting, without a doubt some of the past smashers. He also saw himself in one of them, fighting Mario. There also a bunch of display cases, each containing special items in them. Link remembered some of these from his fights. There was a Homerun Bat, a Beam Sword, and even a Maxim Tomato… slightly rotten. Then, something else caught his gaze. It was an item Link had never seen before. Light reflected off the shiny metal surface of it. It was a small, green box with a green and white checkered border. It bore an exclamation point on all sides. It was truly fascinating. Link wanted a better look at it, and decided it was a good idea to take it out of its case. He ambled over to the display case and swung the glass door open. He admired it a moment before reaching out for the box. But as soon as fingertips grazed the cold metallic surface…

* * *

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

THE CLIFFHANGER RETURNS!

heh...

yea.

i didnt like the way i wrote the whole secret passage thing orignally, so i changed it. and thats about all thats different. i hope you liked that chapter (i say that a lot too...) and um.. i really dont know what else to say... wel...

um... im not feeling very well at the moment, and im having a hard time focussing. i was throwing up a lot yesterday, and i slept early and woke up early and i still feel shitty and its 6:40 am. and i got up 40 mins ago. so yea, ill bet you all were just dying to know that. and i keep dropping my celll phone, which im sure is really good for it...

and i wanna play Zelda: Collector's edition, but i cant cuz my dad's sleeping in the gamecube room. im so happy, ive always wanted to play that game, and then i found out my friend owned it and she lent it to me :) in exchange for Mario Kart: Double Dash! and Animal crossing.

and yea, i know this has no relevance to my fic, so ill just stop here, and yea.

please review while i go empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet.


	6. Where's Link?

hoorah! two new readers:D how exciting!

here is chapter six :) it's short, but ive already got a good start on chapter 7 and i think it should be quite long. despite being very short, i quite like this chapter, as i like all my others ones :)

ive found ive gotten myself into an interesting habit. whenever i try to type the word "like" i end up typing "link". and whenever i type anything beginning with the letter Z, i automatically type "zelda". what's worse, i accidently called my friend Zelda when i was tlaking to her on the phone th other day... thats not a bad tihng, is it?...

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**Ericketiting (i hope i spelt that rite): **HAH! I KNOW ITS NOT FAIR! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! a he... well, im glad you like my story :), oh, and id like to say, I LOVE AGNEL IN THE BATTLE!

**RoyalFanatic:** so nice to see a familiar face in my reviews :) glad i inspired you :) i like to inspire ppl, makes me feel special :)...  
DEATH: how scary! and yes, from here on out, its all new stuff

**Silver Ripper:** you liked it better before:S how come? thanks for readin anyways :)

**Anonymous Reader whose name i am not allowed to type:** im workin im workin!

**NeoSmilyFace:** why thanks you :)

**Nienna Calmcacil:** meh, something to write about. makes me look awfully girly though... i tend to write long paragraphs, that is true. ill have a look at ur fic sometime.

:) well, whatever, enjoy this next chapter :)

**-Chapter Six-  
****Where's Link?**

Zelda was lying on her bed, nose buried once again in her romance novel. She glanced at the clock.

_Hmm…_ _eight thirty… I wonder where Link is…_ It had been two hours since she last saw Link, after he had left for some alone time. Zelda completely understood why Link would want to be alone, but she just couldn't imagine what Link could be doing for two whole hours.

_Let's think… he's definitely not reading, or doing anything in or around the library…_ Zelda thought about some other options. Maybe he went to visit Roy? Or, he could have just gone to his own room. Zelda decided to check Link's room, just to be sure. She tossed her book aside, slid on her slippers and made her way out the door and down the hall. Link's room was just at the end of the hallway. Zelda knocked on his door.

"Link, are you in?"

"No reply.

"It's Zelda! Are you in there?"

Still nothing. Link's door wasn't locked, so Zelda thought she'd just take a peek to see if he was in there. She turned the knob and the door creaked open. The light was off, the windows closed, the television off too. Link wasn't here. "Where can that boy be?"

Zelda tried the Dr. Mario's office next. As she walked through the door, she saw Roy, who was sitting up in his bed, reading a magazine. He looked up from his reading.

"Zelda! How nice of you to pay me a visit."

"Hi Roy. How are you feeling? Is your head okay?"

"I'm fine, absolutely fine. How's Link? I heard the others were giving him a hard time."

"That's a bit of an understatement." Zelda said morosely.

"Oh, I just don't get it! I'm fine! It was nothing! And it's not all Link's fault. I mean, I could've just said no when he dared me to belly flop of the high board." Roy shook his head.

"So, you're not mad at him?" Zelda asked.

"Of course not! Link's my _best_ friend!"

"Oh I'm so glad that there's at least _one_ sane person here." Zelda said. "Anyways, while we're talking about Link, have you seen him lately?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Ooh! I can't find him anywhere! He ran off after dinner because all the smashers were being stupid."

"You're kidding. Oh man, this is all my fault! We have to go find him!" But before he could get up, Zelda stopped him.

"No no no! You need to rest!"

Roy pulled Zelda's arms off him. "I've been resting the whole day, I'm fine!" He knocked on his head. "See? Nothing hurts!"

Zelda gave him a sceptical look. "We should at least wait for Dr. Mario to release you."

"Oh there's no time for that!" Roy said, "I'll just leave him a note and we can go." He grabbed a pen and paper from the table beside his bed.

_Hey doc,_

_Feelin' better. Gone to help Zelda find Link. Give a shout if you see him._

_Roy_

Zelda still looked doubtful, but Roy gave her a lopsided grin that rivalled Link's melt-your-heart smile. "Come on Zel. It's the least I can do."

Zelda finally gave in. "You're too cute for your own good, you know that?" She remarked. "Okay, let's go look for Link.

That was easier said than done, however. They searched and searched high and low, all through mansion, scouring every room, closet and crawlspace. Try as they might, they couldn't find him anywhere. They didn't fair any better asking the other smashers.

"Ran off has he?" Said Samus. "Well, that just goes to show what kind of person that Link is. First he does something stupid, then he runs away."

Roy squeaked and stepped a few steps back as he saw a fire ignite in Zelda's eyes.

"_What_ did you just say" Zelda said murderously.

Roy shrieked and fled the scene as Zelda's enraged screams filled the echoey corridor. He skirted down the hall, as Zelda's shouting rang throughout the whole mansion, and took refuge in the first room he saw. It turned out to be the library. Roy looked about the gargantuan room. _Link couldn't be in here, could he?_ Despite the improbability of Link being anywhere within a two-mile radius of a library, Roy started to wander down between the towering bookshelves.

"Liiiiiink? Link! Are you in here?" Roy walked all around the room. Link! It's me! Roy!" Roy was about to give up when he saw something. "What in the world?" He spotted a big hole in the wall. It looked sort of like an entryway. He walked closer to it, examining it. "Hmm… a hidden passageway?" This was very curious. Against his better judgement, Roy stepped through the doorway and down the dark passage he had just discovered. He started to walk faster, as his reassurance that Link would be at the end of the hall grew. He broke out into a run, when suddenly, the floor sloped and Roy lost his footing. "Ah! Oh no!" Roy tumbled down the downward spiralling passage, rolling along the floor and banging into the walls. He finally reached the bottom, and he fell face first into the hard ground.

"Oww…" He groaned into the floor. "What is this? Abuse-Roy-as-much-as-you-can-day?" He slowly got up, brushing himself off. He found his right ear was bleeding, but he didn't care. He walked the last bit of the passage until he reached a small room. "Link?" He looked around the room for his lost friend, but what he saw horrified him.

* * *

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!1

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA!

IM SOOOOOO EVIL!

HARHAHAAR!

a heheh...

ahem.

anyways, i hope you liked that chapter. :)  
isnt roy silly?  
yes, yes he is :)

and he encourages you to review :)

so

REVIEW!  
or roy will stop being silly :(  
AND WE DONT WANT THAT!


	7. Finding a Miracle

**OH JOYOUS DAY!** finally, i was inspired enough to finish chapter seven! and im very pleased with it!

what will Roy do now that he's found Link? how will zelda react? and what exactly has happened to our poor hero?

FIND OUT TODAY, IN A SUPER DELUXE EDITION OF HEART OF GOLD!

...not really, but o well. anyways, i hope you still remembre what this story's about :P

read on!

**

* * *

**

**-Chapter Seven-  
Finding a Miracle**

Zelda was very upset now. How could the smashers say such things? She was also put out when she found Roy had run off when she was yelling at Samus. _And I still don't know where Link is…_ Zelda was now aimlessly walking the halls, as she was at a complete loss. What was she to do now? She had looked everywhere for him, but she couldn't find him. Suddenly, she heard screaming. She ran down the hall and found it was coming from the library. She pushed through the big oak doors and ran inside. She recognized the voice as Roy's.

"Roy? What happened? Where are you?" Zelda sprinted to where Roy's voice was coming from. She ran down an aisle, then turned when she was bowled over by something.

It was Roy.

"Oh Zelda!" Roy exclaimed.

"Roy, what's wrong?" Zelda asked worriedly. The redhead was shaking and sweating a great deal. "What happened?"

Roy's breathing was very unstable and he had trouble talking. "L-l-l…"

Zelda put her hands on Roy's shoulders. "Roy, calm down." She pulled him close to her, and patted him lightly on the back. "There there Roy."

Gradually, Roy's breathing slowed as he settled down, and he managed to say what he wanted to.

"I-it's Link!"

Zelda gasped. "What happened to him?"

But Roy shook his head. He got up and took Zelda's hand. He led her to the secret passage and guided her through it. They reached the bottom, and Roy led her into the room where he found Link. Zelda stepped in. Her eyes fell on Link and she shrieked.

"My goddesses! What happened?" She ran over to Link. He was standing in a corner of the room, one arm outstretched. He was reaching for something in a display case. But there was something very wrong with him. His entire body was silver and reflective. He was cold to the touch. He was as stiff as a board. "Link!" Zelda cried. "Link, can you hear me?"

"Zelda," Roy said, "It's no good, he--"

"NO! NO GODDESSES, NOO!!" Zelda wailed. She collapsed at Link's feet. "WHY _LINK_? WHYY!"

"Zelda, I… I have to get someone." Roy left the room, and hurried up the passage.

---

Roy had gone back up to the mansion and found the Master Hand. They hurried to the secret room.

Master Hand sighed deeply. "I can't believe this"

"Master Hand, what has happened?" Roy asked.

"This secret room is my office. I was sure nobody could find it. I keep it so secret because I am keeping some very dangerous things in here. What has happened to Link… oh, I never thought I would see it again."

Zelda sobbed, "What's happened to him?"

"Link… has turned to metal. That mysterious box he is touching is the Metal Box. It used to be an item used in the tournament, but it was taken out due to its dangerous qualities."

"You mean people used this in battles to turn others into metal?" Roy gasped. "Did they all die?"

"No. The Metal Box does not kill. The effects are only temporary… or, at least they _used_ to be."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"One day, people just stopped coming back. If you turned into metal, you stayed metal. You know those statues you always walk by? Those are the very people that touched that wretched box. That's why I keep it here now." The Master Hand sounded very grave.

"Well…" Roy said, "There _must_ be some way to reverse the effect."

"If there is, Roy, It hasn't been found yet." Master Hand floated over to Zelda. "I'm so sorry about your loss."

Zelda did not reply. She only continued to weep.

---

Roy thought it was best to leave Zelda alone. He had gone back upstairs to his room, where he sat on his bed and thought about what had just happened. He still couldn't wrap his head around it. How could such a horrible thing happen to his best friend? What did Link ever do to deserve that? Roy cringed when he was reminded of Link's slip-up earlier. Maybe he got what was coming to him.

Roy frowned. "No. He didn't deserve that." He told himself firmly. After all, Roy was feeling perfectly fine now. A bump to the head was no cause for such madness. A knock on his door pulled Roy out of his thoughts. "It's open." He said.

The door opened, and Roy found out his visitor was Marth. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey Marth." Roy said, motioning him over. Marth took a seat on the bed beside Roy.

"I heard what happened…" Marth said. "You were the first to find him, right?"

Roy sighed. "Yeah…" He ran his hand through his hair and groaned. "Oh Marth. What the heck are we supposed to do?"

Marth shook his head. "I don't know... Master Hand said there's no known remedy. I really can't think of any way to bring Link back."

"Y'know," Roy said, "None of this would have happened if I didn't jump off the high dive."

"Enough Roy." Marth said, "It was bad enough when Link kept beating himself up about it. I don't want you to do it too, okay? It wasn't anyone's fault. Sometimes these things are out of our control."

"Yeah but… I know something has to be done! We can't just sit around forever!"

Marth shrugged. "When you find this miracle, call me."

Roy frowned. "I will find a miracle!" He got up from his bed. "I'll do whatever it takes to bring Link back, and if I need a miracle, I'll damn well find one!" Almost as suddenly as he had said it, Roy felt a feeling of instant regret. "Ah… sorry."

Marth shook his head. "We're all a little messed up right now. I know how you feel." He gave Roy a comforting smile.

Roy sat down again. "Thanks. I'm glad I have a friend like you to talk some sense into me."

"In times like these, we should know who our friends are and keep them close." Marth said. "As for our friend Link, I know what he would do if he were in our shoes."

Roy nodded in agreement. "We owe it to him. We're gonna find a way to save him. What do you propose we do first?"

"We go back. We'll go back to Master Hand's office. We need more information on this Metal Box, and I'm sure that's the best place to go snooping."

Roy nodded, and the two left Roy's room for the library. As the walked down the stairs, they passed some of the smashers. One of which, Captain Falcon, stopped Roy to talk to him.

"So you're up and about now, are you?"

"Yes." Roy said. "I'm perfectly fine now." He and Marth were about to walk away when Falcon spoke up again.

"Heard that something happened to that idiot, Link."

Roy froze. "What?"

"Yeah, heard he go turned to stone or something." Captain Falcon laughed. "That fuck-up got what was coming to him!"

Without even thinking, Roy attacked Captain Falcon. The next thing anyone knew, the F-Zero racer was out cold. It also took Roy a second to notice he was yelling something at him.

"IF ANYONE'S A FUCK-UP IT'S YOU AND THE REST OF YOU MISERABLE EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS! IF YOU HAD ANY DECENCY, YOU'D SHUT THE FUCK UP AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR PATHETIC LIVES!"

"ROY!" Marth barked. "That's enough!"

It was then that Roy realized Marth was restraining him.

"These people are not worth our time. We've got more important people to worrying about." Marth pulled on Roy's arms, urging him away from the fallen Captain Falcon and the growing crowd of onlookers. "Don't listen to them." Marth murmured to Roy, still guiding him away.

"I can't believe it." Roy said. "First Peach, then Samus, now Falcon and the rest? I can't stand it! It's like the whole world is against Link."

"We're not." Marth said. "And that's all that matters."

Soon, the two swordsmen had reached the library. They pushed through the tall oak doors and started to look for the secret passageway.

"Do you remember where it was?" Marth asked.

"No." Roy said. "I didn't notice. I was too concerned about Link at the time." They both scoured the walls for a crack, or missing book, or anything that might lead to the passage. Finally, Roy had had enough. "This is _stupid!_" He cried. He took his fist and rammed it against a bookshelf, some books falling out of place.

Marth gasped. "Roy, you're a genius!"

"I am?" Roy asked, puzzled.

But Marth didn't answer. Instead, he too punched the wall, which completely shocked Roy.

"Marth! You, of all people, should be the last to be abusing books! After all, you're the brains around here."

"I'm not vandalising the library. I'm looking for the passageway." Marth said.

"And beating the shit out of books helps because…?"

Marth punched a different bookshelf. "The door leading to the passage will make a different sound because there's no wall behind it."

"Ohh!" Roy said. "Impressive. You really are the brains of this group!" And Roy resumed punching the bookshelves.

It would take the two a while to find the door this way, and it would leave them with some swollen knuckles, but they didn't have any other choice. Their miracle wasn't going to come to them. They would have to work for it, and they would work their hardest for the sake of their friend.

* * *

it's one thing to have Zelda constantly yelling at people, but when Roy starts, you know things have gone too far. when good-hearted, likeable, gets-along-with-everyone Roy snaps, something's got to be done and FAST!

and FAST it shall be written! ...hopefully

anyways, i hope you liked that chapter (i always do:P)

now if you'll excuse me, ive got some books to beat the shit out of

-ciao!


	8. Fifty Years of Smash

whew! done chapter eight!

i like this chapter a lot. wont say why yet, but i do.

A new character makes an apperance in this chapter... or should i say, an _old_ character...

you'll see soon enough!...

* * *

**-Chapter Eight-  
The First Tournament**

"Where am I?"

Link looked around and tried to make sense of his surroundings. Something wasn't right. This place seemed… strange. Everything looked sort of faded, and fuzzy, like a photograph that had seen to much sun. At the same time, Link knew exactly where he was. All around him were towering bookshelves, bursting with all kinds of books. Link was in the library. Suddenly the door opened and someone poked his head in.

"Link! What are you doing in the library?"

Link spun around, hearing the familiar voice. "Roy?"

The redhead jerked his head in surprise. "Roy? Who's that? I'm Eliwood, remember?"

Link squinted his eyes and took a few steps closer to Roy's doppelganger, and found he was mistaken. This redhead was noticeably taller than Roy, and had neater, combed hair. But he wore Roy's tunic, and Link could see Roy's lopsided grin stretched across the man's face.

"Eliwood…" Link mumbled. "Why does that name ring a bell."

A look of concern took over Eliwood's face. "You okay, Link?" He asked.

Link snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Then let's go!" The redhead said. "Master Hand's expecting us! There's no time to be fooling around in the library!"

"Expecting us for what?" Link called to the already departing Eliwood.

"The first match!" He called over his shoulder. "Come on!"

After a moment's thought, Link followed Eliwood out of the library.

_This is so weird. _He thought. _I don't remember this at all. Why does everything look so weird? Who is this 'Eliwood'? And what the heck happened when I touched that box?…_ Link could only run after his new friend and see what would happen next…

---

Marth rubbed his knuckles as he sat on Master Hand's desk. "That took longer than I expected.

Roy was busy riffling through all the books in the office.

"It was worth it, though." He said. "There ought to be tons of stuff down here."

Marth had started on his own pile of books, which he took from the bookshelf and placed beside him to save him a few extra trips.

"Any luck yet?" He asked.

"Negative." Roy replied, tossing another book aside. "You?"

"No." Marth flipped through another book. "What are we looking for anyways?"

"You're asking _me_?" Roy cried. "_You_ brought us down here. I thought you knew what we were looking for!"

"Well… not exactly." Marth admitted. Roy gave him a look of utter disbelief. "Hey, you were the one who talked to Master Hand. What did he say to you?"

"Um…" Roy tried to recall all the things Master Hand had told him and Zelda. "He said the Metal Box used to be a battle item a long time ago, but it got too dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"Well, people were only supposed to be metal for a little while. But after a time, people suddenly stayed metal, and never came back."

"Hmm…" Marth stopped reading to take in what Roy said. "Something obviously changed then."

"What could have changed?" Roy asked. "The box?"

"Maybe… Wow… That's really bizarre."

"No kidding." Then, Roy gasped. "Marth! I think I found something!"

Marth jumped off the desk to see what Roy had. It was a book called Transforming the Body.

"Chapter Seven: Metallic Transformation." Marth read aloud. He started reading the book, taking it from Roy.

"Well?" Roy asked.

"Roy, this is fantastic!" Marth said. "Get me a pen! I want to jot some of this stuff down."

Roy nodded and went to the desk to find one. He shuffled the papers and books around, trying to find a pen. When he found none, he moved onto the drawers. Pulling out every drawer, he dug through all the miscellany. But he found no pen. It then dawned on Roy that Master Hand probably didn't have one, owing to the fact no one made pens in his size. He was about to close the last drawer, when something else caught his eye. He reached in and pulled out a ratty looking book. On the cover was the word 'Journal' in fancy cursive, along with someone's initials at the bottom; M.H. Roy's eyes widened.

"Marth…"

"Yeah? Found me a pen yet?"

"No…" Roy held up the journal. "I found this."

"Hm?" Marth looked up and saw what Roy was holding. "What's that?"

"Master Hand's journal." Roy opened it up as Marth walked over beside. "Look at the date!"

Marth gasped. "This journal is over fifty years old!"

"Thirty years?" Roy asked. "Wasn't the first Smash Tournament fifty years ago?"

"Yeah…" Marth said off-handedly. Roy could already see Marth's eyes soaking up the ancient journal. The two sat on the desk, with the journal between them, and read what happened August 9th, thirty years ago…

---

Link was standing before Master Hand, along with Eliwood and a group of people he had never met in his life. Link was as confused as ever. He was still in the Smash Mansion, that was for sure. But who were all these people? What happened to Zelda, Roy, and Young Link? And _why_ was everything so faded looking? Had Link bumped his head on something, buggering up his vision.

"Link." Eliwood whispered. "You sure you're okay? You seem really out of it."

Link shook his head. "Yeah. I'm fine." He only wished he meant that.

The two were shushed and Master Hand spoke.

"Welcome my friends, to the first ever Super Smash Tournament!"

And then it hit Link like a brick wall. He had been sent back in time fifty years to the first Smash Tournament. Amidst all the cheering smashers, Link stood still. Staring daftly into space, he tried to think of some remotely logical explanation for all of this. And then he turned to Eliwood. No wonder he looked like Roy. He was probably his great great great great grandfather or something.

"What in the world am I doing here?…"

* * *

ive written better chapter endings, but oh well... 

i think that was a cool twist to the plot :) And i love the random apperance made by Eliwood. (for those of you who don't know, Eliwood is Roy's father.) so yeah. Chapter 9 is started and mobing along quite nicely, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for updates.

as for now, i must leave once again.

and for those who care, A Midsummer Night's Dream is still being worked on, im just a bit blocked rite now. and the Crushed re-write is about a third of the way done.

-Ciao!


	9. Those Who Fight

i seem to have forgotten about my reviewer responses (i did the same thing with A Midsummer Night's dream!! . )

**Review Responses:**

**Ought to be Destroyed:** I forsaw the problem of Master Hand not being able to write in a journal so small, how he does it is a secret to be revealed later!

**Zelda Rockbell:** Yay i get huggles! And believe me, Roy did not merely punch Falcon. it was an all-out brutal attack involving much screaming, threats, biting, fire, sword slashing, and other things.

**Marioman174:** Then for the sake of educational computer games (bless them), i shall update!

**anime/videogame freak:** thank you, i shall.

You know, a couple of days ago, i was wondering to myself why so many people faved/alerted this story when none of them review, and i got a bit disgruntled. then i realized i had been away so long that by the time i updated again, everyone had changed their screen names... sweatdrop

ahh, silly me. anyways, for kicks i threw in a bunch of references to random things (the chapter title being one, a cookie to all who recognize it) i didn't want this story to become Roy and Marth's epic adventure, as this is still very much Zelda's story as well. So she gets a whole chapter devoted to her!! . anyways, ive said enough, so ill stop to let you read.

...well go on. read!

...READ!

**

* * *

**

**-Chapter Nine-  
Those Who Fight**

Zelda had barricaded herself in her room. She couldn't face the others right now. She knew what would happen. She knew what they would say, and she was tired of hearing it. It was quite clear no one was feeling sorry for Link. Tears spotted her pillow as Zelda lay on her bed, crumpled in defeat. The man she loved more than life itself was now gone forever, and she was alone in the world in missing him.

She didn't know how long she kept herself locked up, but at some point, Zelda had fallen asleep. She awoke some time after that, with no idea as to how much time had passed. The world through her window, she found, was not very helpful, as the sky was thick with heavy looking clouds. Against her desire to stay in her room, Zelda's stomach felt very empty, and it growled with hunger. She reluctantly pulled herself from her bed, not caring in the slightest that her eyes were bloodshot, or her hair was out of sorts, and left her room. On her way down to the kitchen, she stalked past the other smashers. As was the norm now, they were clustered together, abuzz with fresh gossip. Zelda did her best to tune it out, and directed all energy on making it to the kitchen.

When Zelda arrived, she was relieved to find herself alone. The silence in the room was broken only by the soft ticking of a clock, which informed Zelda that it was 9:34 in the morning. Urged by her growing hunger, Zelda opened up the stainless steel refrigerator and scanned its contents for a decent meal. Her gaze passed over a half-eaten sandwich, a bowl of soup, and a bunch of browning bananas, none of which interested Zelda very much. Pushing aside a carton of pulpless orange juice, she found a plate of leftover potatoes and meatloaf. A knot formed in Zelda's throat, and while it seemed silly to cry over some day-old dinner, Zelda did not hold back her tears as she pulled out Link's favourite meal.

Though this, of all times, was not exactly when Zelda wanted to be disturbed, Peach had just entered the kitchen. Zelda gasped quietly and looked up at the intruder. She and Peach held eye contact for a brief moment before Peach turned away and sat down at the counter. Meatloaf in hand, Zelda shut the fridge door and strode to the microwave to heat up her breakfast. Zelda did not turn to look at her former best friend as she waited for her food, and Peach was making no effort to attract Zelda's attention either. Instead, Zelda occupied herself with watching the microwave count down, until she opened it up and removed her plate.

She took her seat at the counter as well, across from Peach and a few seats over. They looked at each other again.

"Good morning." Peach said in a cool voice.

"Good morning." Zelda replied in an equally indifferent tone. She reached for the pepper shaker and sprinkled some of it over her mashed potatoes. "How's Roy?" She asked, not exactly caring.

"Better than Link, I suppose." Came Peach's steely reply.

"One would think so." Zelda said, a hint of malice in her voice. She shoved a forkful of meatloaf into her mouth.

Peach was silent for a moment as she inspected her well-manicured fingernails. "Like my new haircut? It's a bit shorter than I usually have it."

"Oh yes." Zelda said. "It goes nicely with your short temper."

Peach gave a fake laugh and pulled out a compact. "Your look is pretty interesting too." She said, dabbing cover up on her cheeks. "What is it? The hungover look?"

"Actually," Zelda said, scowling, "I thought it looked more like your old look. Not that your new one is any more glamorous." Zelda continued to shovel more food into her mouth.

"Keep eating like that, Zelda, and you'll have to call up the weight-loss centre."

"Maybe it seems like a lot to you because you always starve yourself."

"I'd rather starve than eat that disgusting slop."

"Of course. It isn't tofu bars and lentils after all."

"I've heard better comebacks from a turkey sandwich."

"Not that you'd ever go near one anyways."

"As a beautiful young girl such as myself, I can't afford your waistline."

"Right. And as a princess with my own country to run, I can't be bothered with my appearance."

"Then no wonder Link's run off on you."

But Zelda had no snippy retort to that. Peach had crossed the line. Throwing down her knife and fork, pushed her chair back and stood up. Without giving it any thought, Zelda took a balled fist and punched Peach in the face. She fell backwards, and a satisfaction washed over Zelda that could never be achieved with a magic spell. She said nothing as she left Peach on the kitchen floor clutching her left cheek.

Zelda made it to the end of the lounge when Peach stormed out of the kitchen.

"ZELDA! I SWEAR YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

"I tremble with fear." Zelda said, not even bothering to turn around.

Samus, who was in the lounge and heard Peach's shouted threat, got up from her seat on the couch and quietly walked up behind Zelda. Before she could do anything though, a spinning blue crystal formed around Zelda and knocked Samus back. Zelda turned to face her.

"Think again before you go sneaking up on me." Zelda smirked as she turned around. She sensed Samus before she even got up. Passing by the staring smashers, Zelda inwardly dared them to try and attack her too. _If things must come down to this, _Zelda thought, _so be it. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get_.

* * *

gosh do i ever smell good right now. heh heh...

yes Zelda! more violence! **more** i say!!! MOOORRREEEAASOAHGUWGHRUIHWJ!!!!!!!!!!!

ahem.

i slid in a reference to one of my favourite SSBM fanfics, **The Quest for the Pulpless Orange Juice **(funniest thing i've ever read!). The titular character makes a cameo in the fridge.

and yeah! isn't that great? demonic, killer Zelda, pulpless orange juice, sneaky samus, pissed-off peach, and day-old meatloaf ALL IN ONE CHAPTER!!!

i can barely contain myself!

anyways, i hope you liked that chapter. Chapter Ten is actually already finished and uploaded, so you wont have to wait long for it :) aren't I such a good author:D :D

**of course I am! now _REVIEW!_**


	10. A Friendly Rivalry

hello all! here's chatper 10!

**REVIEW RESPONSES:**

**Zelda Rockbell: **I'm a _wonderful_ author????? THANK YOU!!!!!! you get a donut:)

**anime/videogamefreak: **i didn't know that line was from spongebob, i just heard it somewhere :P i was really debating whether Zelda shoulda slapped peach or punched her, but in the end, i chose the punch because Peach deserved it and Zelda's too tough to just _slap_ someone.

**Twilight BladerJulz:** Thanks for the heads up, but it looks like the problem fixed itself. hope ur story's okay now too :) and yes, the other smasher's _are_ pretty heartless aren't they. but who knows (well, _I_ know, but that's beside the point...), maybe the smashers will have a change of heart. maybe.

thanks to my faithful reviewers:)

First thing, and this is very **important** i'm ret-conning something. the first Smash tournament wil lbe **fifty**years past, instead of 30. i dont think 30 was a big enough number, because i wanted the older smashers to be at least 2 generations before the currents ones, to make them feel a little more obscure, and i really dont think you can squeeze 3 generations in 30 years. fifty years might even be a tight fit, but O WELL.

anyways, in this exciting new installment of the action-packed, suspseful, tragic saga, **Heart of Gold**, Link get's to meet this band of new (or should i say _old?_) smashers, and gets a taste of Smash Bros. fifty years ago.

One of the biggest challenges of this chapter was making new characters. i really wanted ancestors of the current smashers, but a lot of them have such vague histories, so its hard to find out who their relatives are. unless I'm mistaken, the only smashers that have known relatives are Fox and Roy, so i had to make up a few people.

anways, i've talked far too long. longer than i usually talk. so, ill stop so you can read :) enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Link was in the arena facing Eliwood.

"Come on, Linky boy! Let's see what you got!" The redhead taunted.

Link grinned as he dashed toward his opponent. Within mere feet of Eliwood, Link drew back his sword, planning to strike. It almost seemed like Eliwood was not going to retaliate, but at the last possible moment, he held his sword up, blade pointing down. The Master Sword seemed to bounce off the Durandal, and Eliwood seized this spilt second chance to slash at Link, his blade trailing with fire. Link growled. He should have seen that coming, as Roy pulled off the same move in his last battle with Link. Wasting no time, Link was at Eliwood again, wary of his counter manoeuvre. It was a fairly matched fight. Link knew Roy pretty well, having sparred with him on many occasions, but Eliwood just seemed to pull everything off with a different flair. Roy always finished off his Double-Edge Dance with a vertical swipe, but Eliwood favoured swinging the sword under and jabbing at Link. It was these little nuances that threw Link off and gave his opponent a bit of an advantage, but Link wasn't going to admit defeat so easily. Besides, he had a few tricks of his own that Eliwood was surely not away of. As Link shielded against a blow from Eliwood, he discreetly sheathed his blade and pulled out his hookshot. He pushed Eliwood away with his shield, then performed a backflip. As his boots touched the ground, Link triggered his hookshot. It sailed through the air like an arrow, and before Eliwood could react, it latched onto his shoulder guard. Link reeled Eliwood in and grabbed his tunic. He swung him around and pushed him away with a kick to the gut, sending the blue-clad swordsman flying away. He landed with a thud on the hard ground, and did not get up. Link slowly walked over to his fallen rival.

"Give up yet?" The Hylian asked.

Eliwood coughed softly, then nodded. "Yeah."

Link held out his hand and Eliwood took it. As Link pulled him up, Eliwood congratulated him.

"Link, your swordsmanship is superb! I'm definitely looking forward to our next match."

Link nodded. "Yeah, me too." The two shook hands, then cleared the way for the next battle. Link watched excitedly from the sidelines. It was now a Pokémon, Meowth, versus James McCloud, who bore a striking resemblance to Fox. Link watched the battle go back and forth for a while, when something suddenly fell from the sky.

"What the heck is that?" Eliwood asked.

Link already knew. "It's an item!" Sure enough, a motion sensor bomb fell to the ground. Being the speedier of the two, James nabbed the mine and planted it on the ground; a green glow now emitting from its surface. It wasn't long until James managed to lure Meowth onto the bomb. It exploded quite dramatically, and the Pokémon was sent flying.

"Ooooh. That's gotta hurt." Eliwood said.

Link recoiled, aghast at what he just saw. Yes, he and his fellow smashers used motion-sensor bombs too, but they never really tried to lure someone to them. Rather, Link enjoyed throwing it in some remote corner of the stage for his opponent to stumble upon unknowingly. After all, using items like that to your advantage didn't make the fight very fair. But Link had little time to dwell on th thought, and soon he was lost in the fight once more.

The battle soon ended, with James McCloud claiming victory. After them, bounty hunters Matthew Falcon and Galaxia Aran were up. Link followed the frantic battle intently. Again, the occasional item fell from the sky, and neither of the two wasted any time using them. Halfway through the battle, a green box materialized in front of Galaxia, and before she had time to react, her arm made contact with it. The crowd gasped, but not nearly as loud as Link did. Galaxia was frozen to the spot, her spacesuit taking on a silvery, metallic glow. _Oh no…_ Link thought. Galaxia had been claimed by the Metal Box, and would surely not return as Link had not. However, about thirty seconds later, the metal seemed to melt off the bounty hunter, and she was once again in the fray. Link was puzzled, and a strange feeling of jealousy slowly crept into him. Why had Galaxia turn back to normal and not Link? What made her so special? That wasn't fair at all! If people could recover from the Metal Box, why hadn't he? He wanted to see Roy and Young Link again. And he wanted to be with Zelda, the woman he loved. The unfairness felt very cruel to Link, and if Eliwood hadn't broken his trance by speaking to him, Link might have acted on his newfound feeling of spite.

"Wow, that's a nasty one, that Metal Box." Eliwood said in awe.

Link turned to Eliwood, and muttered "Yeah." before turning back to the fight and trying to let go of the anger welling up inside him.

The battles carried on, and Link and Eliwood sat side-by-side, watching the whole thing. He wasn't Roy, but there was something familiar in the way Eliwood spoke to Link. There was that feeling of fierce loyalty and friendship whenever Link was near him; something only a true friend could have. As the band of fighters retreated back to the mansion at the day's end, Link felt comfortable in having something familiar in this strange world he found himself in.

---

"And thus did the first day of the Smash Tournament end." Roy read aloud. "I am very excited, as the fighters seem very keen on the items system that I've been testing. They use them quite cunningly, I'm actually a bit surprised. And they show a lot of promise, especially the two swordsmen, Link and Eliwood—"

"Link?" Asked Marth

"Not our Link." Roy said, "He comes from a long line of Links, apparently. At least, that's what he told me."

"Ahh, I see. And isn't Eliwood—"

"My grandfather." Roy nodded. "I never knew he was in the smash tournament too…" After a moment's pondering, Roy resumed reading. "Already it seems the 'smashers' are forming alliances, which I find it great. I'm eager to see how these bonds will shape the tournament; there's nothing like a friendly rivalry between teams."

"_'Friendly rivalry'_, eh?" Marth scoffed. "Look where friendly rivalry has ended us up now!"

"Calm down, Marth." Roy said. "What has happened was out of everyone's control, as you said. I don't even think Master Hand could have foreseen what this rivalry could do."

Marth sighed, and though he did not want to admit it, he could not deny it. Roy placed the journal in Marth's lap.

"Your turn to read." He slid off the desk and stretched out on the floor, resting his head on a throw cushion he stole from the library. Marth gave an apathetic grumble as he turned to August 10th.

"Day two…"

* * *

ooooooh, the suspense is building!!!!

...not really... but i like to think it is!

unforutantely for you, and fortunately for me, I'm going down to california for vacation next friday, and i wont be back til the 19th, so i dont know whats going to happen. hopefully i can write chapter 11 in the week i have before i depart. my dad's bringing his laptop on the trip, so i _could _work on the story still, but i dont know if i'll feel like it down in sunny california. o well, we'll see.

anyways, i hope you liked that chapter. chapter 11 is... kinda started, i have one word so far...

...and to tell you the truth, that word is "blah". hey, im working on it.

in the meantime, you should review. infact, if you do, i'll be even more inclined to write something ebfore i leave! fantastic, no?

so get reviewin:)


	11. The Alliances

**ALOHA:) **Greetings from Sunny California!

...yes I realize the Hawaiians say "Aloha", but I'm your typical tourist, I'm not down with the language here.

ARGH, it bugs me how everyone here says 'Rowt' instead of 'Root' when saying Route. nothing against you Americans, but I'm such a grammar/english/language whore, and I do have my preferred way of saying everything (sheesh, stuffy canadians, what can ya do :P) anyways, my vacation down here was been SPECTACULARLY AWESOMETASTICALLY SUPERCALIFRAGILISTCALLY SUPER DE DUPERR:D top of the list is, of course, Disneyland and California Adventure. Had such a magical time at the hapiest place on earth :P. Legoland was, ahem, brilliant if i do say so myself, and i left with 3 pounds of lego (oh yes). SeaWorld, and meeting the world famous Shamu (did you know Shamu isn't even a whale? It's just a stage name used by a bunch of different whales, none of whom are actually named 'Shamu') was cool. you can touch EVERYTHING in that place! i got to feed dolphins, and touch stingrays (de-stingered of course), pick up starfish (and deprive them of oxygen for a few agonizing minutes of their lives), and yeah!! and of course, Sand Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park were amazing, and turtles are totally my new favourite animal. all in all, it was a great vacation. I'm flyin on home to good ol' Canadia tomorrow, but i felt inspired today, and so you get an update early:) yay!

NOW, about the update. it is surprisingly long, and it only took me a day to write, which i find even more mindblowing. this chapter is packed to capacity with non stop smash bros action! in the most unlikely of places...heh heh. and finally Zelda joins the link search partay. well i wont spoil any more, so read on :).

GAH i almost forgot!

**REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**NeoSmilyFace: **yeah, i put my own twist on the Metal Box. thanks for readin

**anime/videogame freak: **i had a blast down here.

**Squirt Sapphire:** thanks! me too :)

**Julian Ketrarch Spire:** thanks much, its always wonderful to have someone else watchin me. and thank you so much, its great to hear that.

**

* * *

-Chapter 11-  
The Alliances**

"Roy! Roy, let me in!" Princess Peach called, as she rapped on Roy's door. "Yoohoo, Roy! Are you still asleep?" When no answer came, Peach let herself in the room, and was surprised to see it empty. "Roy?" She stepped inside just to make sure she wouldn't miss him if he actually was there. His bed was cold when Peach sat on it, and she knew it hadn't been slept in the previous night.

"It's one thing to have that pest, Link, missing. But I won't stand for my beloved Roy to be missing too." She promptly left the room and continued her search elsewhere. She was drawn back downstairs, and although she was weary of reentering the kitchen, it was the most likely place for Roy to turn up. En route, she met Samus.

"I can't believe that Zelda." Samus said as the two walked. "She's lost it. Gone nuts. She's making one hell of a deal about Link."

"Please." Peach replied. "I needn't a reminder." She unconsciously touched her felt cheek. The two entered the kitchen, where many of the smashers were now eating breakfast. In a corner of the room, huddled close, were two unmistakable blue and red heads of hair. Peach sauntered over to the pair.

"And where have you been?" Peach asked Roy's back.

He turned around sharply and looked up at Peach. "What do you mean?"

"Where. Have. You. Been?" Peach said slowly.

Roy rolled his eyes. "I'm not a blonde, Peach. I don't need everything spelled out for me.

Peach gasped, taking great offense to the remark. "_What_ has gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into _you?_" Roy asked, standing up.

Peach crossed her arms. "I assure you, _dear_, nothing has gotten into me. I'm not the one sneaking out at night and defending people I _shouldn't_ _be defending_!!"

"What's it to you?" Roy shouted.

"Where were you last night!" Peach yelled even louder.

"None of your business!!" Roy retorted.

This was not the answer Peach was expecting. "You are going to tell me what you've been up to, and you're going to do it _now!_"

"Gimme a reason!"

"What?!"

"Give. Me. A. Rea-son."

Peach screamed in Roy's face. Then, she turned on Marth, who was coolly sipping his morning coffee.

"Well Mr. "I-Never-Drink-Coffee", what's gotten you in need of a caffeine jolt?"

Marth sighed, "I'm afraid it's you, _dear_, shouting all the time and keeping me up."

Steam seemed to issue from Peach's nostrils as she exhaled. "Well thank goodness your witty sense of humour is still intact."

"It's a miracle, isn't it?" Said Marth, standing too. "With all of you wretched people, it's a wonder anything funny ever pops up in a conversation."

"You want to joke at a time like this?" Peach exclaimed. "When terrible things are happening, like Roy getting hurt?!"

This time, Roy screamed. "FOR THE LAST DAMNED TIME! I! AM! OKAY! SEE?" Roy started to knock on his head with his fist. "NOTHING HURTS!" He took both fists and started beating his head. "FOR! THE! LOVE! OF! GOD! IT WAS ONLY WATER!" Roy then took his breakfast plate and smashed it over his head. "I HAVE A SKULL OF _STEEL!_" He ran around the room grabbing anything and everything and beating his head. In one last final act, he took his head and pounded the kitchen counter with it. Only then did he finally lose consciousness and slump to the ground.

All the smashers gaped at the fallen redhead. Marth was first to come to his senses, and took advantage of the opportunity.

"You see what you people are doing? You're driving poor Roy mad!" All the smashers rounded on Marth.

"No." Peach growled. "Link is driving poor Roy mad."

"What is your problem with Link?" Marth shouted. "Do you think he's the only one who suffers from poor judgment from time to time? Look at yourself! It's a daily routine for you, _princess!_"

"Looks like the pot is calling the kettle black!" Peach snapped back.

"Oh how clever. Did Zelda teach you that one?"

"Speak of the devil!" Proclaimed the voice of Zelda herself, as she walked into the kitchen. She glared at Peach. "Still bickering?"

"You should be the last to talk, Zelda!" Peach cried.

"Oh, really. And should I expect you to tell me what to do?"

"You should expect to shut up!" Captain Falcon said.

"Stay out of this, fool!" Marth said. "You won't be able to keep up!"

"Can it, pretty boy!"

"Yeah Marth!" Said Falco. "Just 'cause you have a superiority complex doesn't mean we can't say what we want!"

"Yeah, because it's all about you, isn't it!" Marth shouted back.

"No." Said Samus. "It's all about Link. Link this, and Link that, right Zelda?"

"You! You shut up!" Zelda shrieked. "At least I care about someone other than myself!"

"You're a little choosy about who you care about if you ask me." Samus snorted.

"Well I'm _not_ asking you, cow!"

Samus narrowed her eyes.

"Oh no, glare of doom! Watch out!" Zelda said in mock fear. Her hands sparkled with building magical force as Samus unsheathed her Paralyzer Whip. In one fluid movement, Samus leapt at Zelda and slashed her whip. Hands in front of her, Zelda's magic formed a barrier. Samus bounced backward, but kicked off the floor and launched herself at Zelda again, causing a cascade of dishes to fall from the counter. A quick spin launched Zelda from one end of the room to another in a whirlwind. She now stood atop the stove, ready for her next attack. In a flash, Falco drew his blaster and fired at the stove's control. It ricocheted and the dial was set to 9.

"SCOUNDREL! Marth cried, and he went after the bird. Zelda took a spinning leap off the gas range, her arms trailing with sparkling energy. Pots and pans clattered as pandemonium broke out in the kitchen. Samus was agilely jumping off the counters and tables, as Zelda floated about, shooting spells. Marth flipped over chairs in hot pursuit of his winged rival, who sent a barrage of laser blasts Math's way. Hot on Marth's tail was Captain Falcon, bowling over anything that got in his way. Peach joined the fray, and by means of parasols, golf clubs and tennis rackets, she incurred her own wrath. Windows were smashed, china was shattered, forks and knives speared the floors. Eggs and bacon and cereal and all matters of breakfast foods showered the brawlers, and the juice and milk pooling on the floor made things all the more perilous. The refrigerator tipped over and exploded with even more food. Many reenactments of the classic banana peel gag occurred as DK's bananas toppled out.

Hair and face now dripping with milk, Zelda stumbled blindly around the room, shooting spells every which way.

Samus' whip was short circuited by the blender, and she had to resort to hand to hand combat, which did her little good against magic, swords, and guns.

Peach's hair was on fire again, and though she had given up fighting people, she still posed a great threat to those around her.

Marth had been stuffed in the freezer chest and was soon turning the same colour as his tunic.

Falco had caught sight of the roasted turkey and promptly fainted.

Captain Falcon was drowning in quarter-inch deep apple juice.

Roy, having resumed consciousness, was knocked out again by a frying pan.

Pichu was trapped in the microwave

Ness was pinned to the wall with knives.

And when things looked its bleakest, the door was blown open, and a deep voice cried **"ENOUGH!"**

In a record time of forty minutes, peace was restored to the kitchen-turned-battlefield. All the cutlery was back in the drawers (Ness was so glad), the juice was mopped up (Falcon drank most of it), and all fires had been extinguished (although, Master Hand seemed to relish watching Peach run around and flail).

Roy, Marth, and Zelda were once again making their way to the library. Marth kept shivering, even in the sunlit halls. Zelda had screamed and run away from Young Link's offer of some Lon Lon Milk. And Roy recoiled every time he saw Peach of Mr. Game and Watch with their frying pans. However, the trio made it in one piece.

"Remember which bookshelf this time, Roy?" Ask Marth.

"Yeah. It's the one with the book called _A Thousand and Two Varieties of Cheese_." At once, the three started their hunt for the bookshelf. Zelda was the one who found it and opened the door. Together they walked down the spiral pathway, Roy taking Marth and Zelda's hands and not letting go.

"So what have you found out so far?" Zelda asked as they descended.

"Not much." Marth said.

"But I found this really old journal of Master Hand's." Roy said excitedly. "It dates back fifty years to the first Smash Tournament."

"Hey, remember what Master Hand said?" Zelda asked. "The Metal Box used to be a battle item in the earlier tournaments! Has he mentioned it yet?"

"Once." Marth said. "Poor Galaxia Aran was turned to metal in the first round.

Zelda snorted. "I'm not sorry."

"But it only lasted a few seconds." Roy added.

"Nevermind, I am sorry."

The three gurgled as the floor beneath them leveled. They strode down the final stretch of the passage and emerged into Master Hand's office. Zelda looked at the mess of books and papers strewn about the room.

"Have you two been down here all night?" She said, gazing around.

"Yep." Said Roy, rearranging some papers on Master Hand's desk.

"What are those?" Zelda asked, peering over Roy's shoulder.

"Notes." Marth answered. He picked up the copy of _Transforming the Body_ that he was reading. "This book is fantastic!"

Zelda took it and flipped through it. "It's also a fiction."

Marth's tensed and his expression turned sour. "P…pardon?"

"Yeah." Zelda said, pointing out a page in the back.

Marth snatched the book from Zelda and held it close to his face as he read out loud. "Please be aware that the contents of this book are meant for the enjoyment of the reader. By no means do the methods of transformation stated within have any merit in the real world. It should be noted that all aforementioned body transformations defy all laws of physics, logic, and common sense. Heroes Publishing Inc. holds no liability for injuries caused by any attempts to practice body transformations described in this book." His voice trailed off with the last sentence, and he was brought to his knees.

"There there Marth." Zelda said calmingly, kneeling down to Marth's level. "It was a convincing book."

"All that work!" Marth sobbed.

Roy tried his best to muffle his laughter, as Zelda straightened herself and pulled Marth up.

"So, what did you boys find out from this journal?" She asked, now picking it up from the desk.

"Tons." Roy said. "We've read a whole week already, it's great stuff. Here, why don't you take a look."

Zelda opened up the tattered book and flipped through, Roy stopping her on the 17th of August.

"August 17th. Day 8."

* * *

i really couldn't think of a good title for this chapter, but i thought "The Alliances" was fitting because we start to see the divide between the two groups of smashers: the Link side and the Peach side. unfortuneately, team Link is outnumbered five to 1. oh well, they'll pull through somehow. 

So, link's been trapped in the past for a week and one day now. How do you think he's handled it? what kind of stuff has happened to him? have more mysterious been unveiled? find out next time on...

**HEART OF GOOOLLLLLDDDDDDDAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

:) next update will come from home sweet home and my trusty desktop computer. see ya then.


	12. Homesick

i took a short hiatus so i could focuss on school, and work, and online school, and first-aid class. i was quite busy.

i finally wrote chapter 12, because i was feeling a bit guilty that you didnt get an update :(

**Review Responses:**

**Julian Ketrarch Spire:** I made a point to spell your middle name correctly :) and thanks for pointing out that typo, im a bit notorious for that. I'm glad you chose to watch this too :)

**Marioman174:** thaanks:) and yes, a lot can stem from just a simple bet

**Zelda Rockbell:** hell yeah they kick ! lol. enjoy this chapter!

**anime/videogame freak: **i had a blast in california, but that seems like ages ago now :( and im really missing it.

**Squirt Sapphire:** thanks!! yeah, Roy's kinda getting fed up with people making a big deal about his head injury. its kinda driving him nuts. and have a heart! Peach still has a good side! although i would love to set her hair on fire more, there is a limit :P

and now i present, chapter 12 (with crappy title)!

**

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**

**Chapter Twelve  
-Homesick-**

"Liiiink! Link, get up!"

Link was being shaken forcibly, pulling him out of his deep slumber. He snorted loudly and awoke. "Wha-?..." He mumbled. His vision grew less hazy and a tall, grinning redhead slid into focus. "...Eliwood?"

"'Bout time you woke up." Eliwood said.

"What are you doing in my room?" Link asked confusedly, as he threw back his sheets and slid into his slippers.

"Waking you up of course." The readhead replied. He was sitting cross-legged at the end of Link's bed, grin not fading from his face.

Link rolled his eyes. "What for, you loony. There aren't any matches scheduled for today."

"No." Eliwood said. "But what difference does that make?"

"It means we can sleep in if we choose it." Link said, yawning. Of course, Link knew it made no difference to Eliwood. Link should have known by now that no matter what day it is, Eliwood liked to start it bright and early - and he liked starting it bright and early with Link. Every day for the past week, Eliwood had either knocked on Link's door until he woke up, or marched straight in, had Link not locked the door.

"Why me?" Link groaned as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Eliwood shrugged. "Dunno. Be quick in there, we don't want to miss breakfast!"

Link sighed. "I don't think we need to worry. It wont be going anywhere very fast."

"Kinda like you." Eliwood retorted cheekily.

Partly due to Eliwood's nagging, Link wasn't long in the bathroom. Soon he was out, and rummaging through his closet. He pulled out his favourite mustard-coloured tunic. Link had almost forgotten that at one point, that tunic was green. But Link had been living in the past so long, he had already grown used to the sepia tinted world. He threw it on, and the two proceeded onward to the kitchen.

It had been an eventful eight days since he first found himself fifty years back in time. Round one was exciting, as Link got a teaser of what his fellow combatants were like. The following days were filled with more matches. The more and more Link watched, the more Link started to realize the brutality of the fighters. These guys were not taking the tournament lightly. They were in it to win, which was a stark contrast from the friendly crowd fighting fifty years ahead.

Eliwood and Link joined the rest of the smashers in the kitchen for breakfast. Today they were having crepes. The duo took a plate each and found spots on the counter to sit and eat. They each took a crepe and started loading it with fruit and whipped cream. As Eliwood drizzled chocolate syrup on his breakfast, he started up a conversation with Galaxia. Link, who was stuffing his crepe into his mouth was listening in on a debate between Matthew Falcon and James McCloud.

"I tell you, that victory was fair and square." James declared, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

"Uh uh." Falcon disagreed. "If that freezie hadn't fallen on my head and frozen me, I woulda had you beat five to six."

Link knew the two were arguing about the battle the previous day, which James won. At least, according to him.

"That's just the way it goes." James said. "Besides, you had that Bunny Hood earlier. Coupled with your natural speed, I was pretty much a statue against you."

"Yeah, but you had the Cloaking Device on, so I couldn't even tell where you were. And when I actually found you, you didn't get hurt at all!"

"Well..."

Over on the other side of Link, Galaxia and Eliwood were talking about items too.

"How did it feel when you got turned into metal?" Eliwood asked in awe.

"It felt very strange." Galaxia replied. "As soon as i touched it, it's like my mind totally left the battle. My body was still frozen, but suddenly, i was in a completely different place."

"Whoa... and then?"

"Well, I had this weird feeling. I slowly got warmer, and the metal melted off. As soon as that happened, I was right back in the fight."

Link twitched, and anger slowly started to seep into him again. It just_ melted_ off Galaxia in under a minute, and Link had been imprisonned for a _week!_ Without even thinking the words, they fell out of his mouth in a malicious tone.

"You didn't deserve it!"

The suddenness of his outburst pulled many of the smashers out of their conversations. They were all looking at Link now.

"What?" Galaxia asked, perplexed.

Link shot her a fleeting glance before looking down shamefully. "Nothing."

Still the smashers continued to stare, and it felt like Peach blaming him for Roy's injury all over again. He had to get away from the others. He quickly pushed his chair back and walked out of the room. His pace was fast; he needed to be alone. He couldn't bare all those people staring at him again, for something else that he did. He didn't even slow down when he heared Eliwood running after him.

"Link! Hey Link! Wait up!" Link was at the foot of the staircase when Eliwood finally caught up to him. He placed a hand on Link's shoulder to stop him. "Link?"

Without turning to face Eliwood, Link mumbled "I need to be alone." He tried to walk up the stairs again, but Eliwood kept his hand where it was.

"Link, tell me what's the matter."

Reluctantly, Link turned around. Eliwood looked at him expectantly. "I..."

"You?... You what?" The redhead asked. "Does this have anything to do with Galaxia?"

"Well, no..." Link said. "It's just that..."

"What didn't she deserve? Winning the last match?"

"No..." Link sighed. He turned around again and slowly started walking up the stairs, Eliwood following. "I just... I just miss it." Link said.

"Home?" Eliwood asked.

"Yeah." Link said. That was one way of putting it. "And I guess I was just jealous of Galaxia because she can fly home whenever she wants on her ship." Link lied.

"Ahh, so that's it." Eliwood said. "It's pretty hard, isn't it? Leaving everything behind. Every_one_. Do you have... family back home?"

Link shook his head. "Not really. But... there's a girl. And... a brother I guess you could call him. And, some very good friends."

Eliwood nodded. "I see. Well, you've got friends here, don't you?"

Link snorted. "Not really.

"Well, you've got me, right?" Eliwood asked.

This stopped Link. In the week that Link had stayed here, there was one guy who stuck with him and made sure he was all right. I guess he _could_ call Eliwood his friend. "...Yeah."

"That's the spirit!" Eliwood smiled. "You know, I wouldn't wake you up every morning if I didn't like you. I really like having you around. You're not like the others."

And Link smiled too. "I'm not?"

"Nah. You're a really good person Link. You have an incredible heart, one that doesn't approve of cheating, or foul-play. And you're a really good friend."

Link was deeply touched by Eliwood's words, and now more than ever was Link reminded of Roy. His admirability and loyalty shone through Eliwood, and it wasn't hard at all to see him as Roy's grandfather.

"Besides." Eliwood said. "You always seem a bit lost. If I don't look out for you, who will?"

Link laughed, and as he walked with his friend along the corridors of the mansion, he was glad that there was one person in the world that would stay by him no matter what.

* * *

well isn't that just the cutest thing ever? hmmmmmm??

i just gotta say. i got DDR: Hottest Party the other day. it's pretty addicting. im a total DDR fanatic! it kinda sucks that there's only been two DDR's released for Nintendo systems. so yeah, I've kinda been living off DDR and Red Steel (great game!)

and to my great frustration, i cant beat the first level of Kid Icarus ARGH!

and that's just a snippet of the world of video games and me.

stay tuned for more Heart of Gold latah!!!!

-Ciao! double H over an' out!


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